Description of the antennal sensilla of Habrobracon Hebetor

Abstract

The morphology of the antennal sensilla of both male and female Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is described using Scanning Electron Microscopy complemented with Transmission Electron Microscopy. Five types of innervated sensilla as well as uninnervated microtrichia were found. These types are: sensilla trichodea; s. chaetica; s. basiconica; s. coeloconica; and s. placodea. No differences in shape, basic structure, and types of antennal sensilla were found between males and females. The types of sensilla of both sexes of H. hebetor were compared with what has been described in other parasitic Hymenoptera, and their putative functions are discussed with reference to their morphology, distribution and ultrastructure.

Kairomonal Response of the Parasitoid, Bracon hebetor Say, to the Male-Produced Sex Pheromone of Its Host, the Greater Waxmoth, Galleria mellonella (L.)

“…Despite the sexual dimorphism in behavioral responses to host odors, no major difference in antennal sensitivity was observed between female and male B. hebetor, suggesting that the response difference was not a result of sexual dimorphism in the peripheral olfactory system (see Dweck and Gadallah 2008). Instead, our data imply that the behavioral differences arose from different processing by female and male central nervous systems of similar sensory input.…”

Antennal sensilla of female Encarsia guadeloupae Viggiani (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a nymphal parasitoid of the spiraling whitefly Aleurodicus dispersus (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

“…Multiporous sensilla placoid (MSP) has been described in most of parasitic Hymenoptera (Richerson et al, 1972;Amornsak et al, 1998;Dweck and Gadallah, 2008;Dweck, 2009). …”

“…To overcome this confusion, the sensilla types were identified and classified on the basis of their external structure such as morphology, position and pore structure and quantity when viewed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in this study. The terminology used in this work follows the methodology described by Zacharuk (1985), Isidoro et al (1996), Bleeker et al (2004) and Dweck and Gadallah (2008).…”

“…There are lots of studies describing the antennal sensilla of various species of parasitic Hymenoptera using electron microscopy techniques (Norton and Vinson, 1974a,b;Navasaro and Elzen, 1991;Olson and Andow, 1993;van Baaren et al, 1996van Baaren et al, , 1999Amornsak et al, 1998;Cônsoli et al, 1999;Dahms, 1984;Dweck and Gadallah, 2008). However, only a few of them focus on the Encarsia species Mazzone, 1979, 1980;Viggiani, 1980Viggiani, , 1982.…”

“…However, only a few of them focus on the Encarsia species Mazzone, 1979, 1980;Viggiani, 1980Viggiani, , 1982. In the current research, the external morphology, structure, and distribution of antennal sensilla of the female E. guadeloupae are first characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and then functional aspects of these sensilla are also ascribed based on porosity, morphology, distribution and previous studies (Ochieng et al, 2000;Bleeker et al, 2004;Roux et al, 2005;Bourdais et al, 2006;Gao et al, 2007;Dweck and Gadallah, 2008).…”